Film The Redcafe Movie review thread

Hugh Jass said:
Half way through The Killers of the Flower Moon. Very slow opening hour. But out of respect for Scorsese i will watch the second half tomorrow. Not his best though so far.
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That's not fair taking a break in it, mister. You need to sit there and suffer like the rest of us. As part of the criticism of that film, a person needing to watch it in two halves with a day's rest in between speaks to the film's lack of engagement.

As I say with Under The Skin, when you have a naked Scarlet Johansson and you still turn the movie off, something is definitely wrong with your movie!
 
Salt Bailly said:
Embarrassingly, I've only seen 3 of the 10 this year. I've made a personal pledge to watch all 10 before the event so that I can comfortably judge my fellow posters on the night itself for their bad choices. Whisky shall be involved.
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Start an Oscars Watch thread, so we can live shit-talk the awards, get our predictions in, and so on.

So far with me:

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Maestro
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Killers of the Flower Moon
9. The Holdovers
10. Barbie

Still need to see:
Past Lives
Poor Things
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Start an Oscars Watch thread, so we can live shit-talk the awards, get our predictions in, and so on.

So far with me:

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Maestro
4.
5.
6.
7.
8. Killers of the Flower Moon
9. The Holdovers
10. Barbie

Still need to see:
Past Lives
Poor Things
American Fiction
Anatomy of a Fall
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One Oscar 2024 thread isn't enough for you? You sicken me.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
That's not fair taking a break in it, mister. You need to sit there and suffer like the rest of us. As part of the criticism of that film, a person needing to watch it in two halves with a day's rest in between speaks to the film's lack of engagement.

As I say with Under The Skin, when you have a naked Scarlet Johansson and you still turn the movie off, something is definitely wrong with your movie!
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True. I managed to watch it all though because the united match is on tomorrow so id watch that instead of it. Yea its way too long and slow. Even the last hour could have been done in 30 minutes. Disappointing because its Scorsese. Still good. 3.8/5 id give it.

Oppenheimer was way better i felt.
 
Hugh Jass said:
True. I managed to watch it all though because the united match is on tomorrow so id watch that instead of it. Yea its way too long and slow. Even the last hour could have been done in 30 minutes. Disappointing because its Scorsese. Still good. 3.8/5 id give it.

Oppenheimer was way better i felt.
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Nothing wrong with that.
 
De Niro is the best thing in Killers of the Flower Moon. Every scene with him is really good.
 
Paul Schrader said that DiCaprio was miscast as the idiot and i agree. I think they originally wanted DiCaprio to be one of the agents. But Scorsese changed it.
 
Hugh Jass said:
Paul Schrader said that DiCaprio was miscast as the idiot and i agree. I think they originally wanted DiCaprio to be one of the agents. But Scorsese changed it.
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I agree too. DiCaprio has a face that needs a fist in it. I liked him in Inception. Or at least I didn’t hate him. He was good in The Departed because that character seemed to line up with the frat boy trying to act cool vibe that he gives off.

I just wish Scorsese would use somebody else. I think his collaborations with DiCaprio have largely been poop.
 
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Bronson. Nicolas Winding Refn's 2008 biographical film about UK prisoner Michael Peterson/Charles Bronson (played by Tom Hardy), who's a guy who basically randomly erupts in extreme violence all the time, and has therefore been in prison for most of his life.

That does not sound like a great premise, but it's actually an amazing film. Refn's intersperses key moments in Bronson's life with Bronson commenting on or presenting these moments in various guises. The results is a sort of very clever dark comedy, that partly invites you to enjoy Bronson's craziness, but also holds up a mirror to you doing so. For example, when Bronson grabs his art teacher and you don't know yet if he kills him (it looks likely at that moment), the scene switch to his vaudeville theatre show, where his audience erupts in laughter - as actual watchers of the film might. But is this funny, that he's going to molest and possible kill that teacher who's been nothing but nice to him? Of course it isn't. I really liked that. We're often asked to enjoy careless extreme violence in films (think the John Wick films or a lot of Tarantino's work), and I like how this film offers that while also criticizing it.

Other than that, it's just great film-making. As could be expected, Refn does a lot to make scenes interesting with camerawork, music, and other finds (interestingly, there is nothing of his slow-cinema style here), plus those moments of Bronson commenting really give the film something extra. Hardy is great as well. And I like how the film doesn't offer any kind of explanation for what happens - cause there isn't, and life can be like that sometimes. I could go on, but it's just very, very good. 9/10 (With thanks to a couple of people who discussed Refn with me last week, which led me to watch this! Pity our Netflix doesn't have anything else by Refn.)

Crazy, Stupid, Love. A 2011 romcom about a guy (Steve Carell) whose wife (Julianne Moore) suddenly decides to divorce him, at which point he is rather lost until some slick dude (Ryan Gosling) helps him find his mojo back, while his daugther (Emma Stone) is going through her own relationship trouble, and various other family stuff plays out as well. The plot is a bit of a puzzle, but all the pieces fall together nicely as the film develops. Carell and Gosling are great in this, but I thought the film was not very consistent tonally, switching regularly between the more cynical bits in most scenes involving just the adults (which I liked), to cringe scenes whenever the kids are involved (which I didn't like). 6 7/10

The Nanny Diaires. A 2007 comedy-drama featuring Scarlett Johansson as a recent university graduate who doesn't know what to do next and then decides to fill some time by becoming the nanny of a wealthy New York City family. The film is a bit of a mix between societal criticism (on that weird group of wealthy New Yorkers that live a life of appearance and basically contract out their entire parenting duties), drama (the hard life of the nanny and her life choices), and romance (the nanny meets a hot dude). The film basically has nothing new to say, and says it with the subtlety of a sledgehammer; but it's enjoyable enough while it lasts. I liked the anthropology perspective at least, even if it's mostly abandoned after the first 15 min or so. 5/10
 
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Cheimoon said:
Crazy, Stupid, Love. A 2011 romcom about a guy (Steve Carell) whose wife (Julianne Moore) suddenly decides to divorce him, at which point he is rather lost until some slick dude (Ryan Gosling) helps him find his mojo back, while his daugther (Emma Stone) is going through her own relationship trouble, and various other family stuff plays out as well. The plot is a bit of a puzzle, but all the pieces fall together nicely as the film develops. Carell and Gosling are great in this, but I thought the film was not very consistent tonally, switching regularly between the more cynical bits in most scenes involving just the adults (which I liked), to cringe scenes whenever the kids are involved (which I didn't like). 6/10
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One of my all time faves! Gutted you didn't like it more.
 
Salt Bailly said:
One of my all time faves! Gutted you didn't like it more.
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Wing Attack Plan R said:
I liked that film a lot too. Stone & Gosling are awesome together. @Cheimoon, what the hell is wrong with you!
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Hey, I did say I liked the scenes with the adults! I know Stone plays Carell's daughter, but she is an adult in the film, so I did mean to include her scenes among the stuff I liked. And yes, this particular part with her and Gosling is great. I also think I would easily have given this film 8/10 if those kids' scenes weren't there (all the nonsense with the babysitter and the son). But they are, and I really didn't like them much.

Come to think of it though, I'll change my score to 7/10. The kids stuff isn't that prominent.
 
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Cheimoon said:
Hey, I did say I liked the scenes with the adults! I know Stone plays Carell's daughter, but she is an adult in the film, so I did mean to include her scenes among the stuff I liked. And yes, this particular part with her and Gosling is great. I also think I would easily have given this film 8/10 if those kids' scenes weren't there (all the nonsense with the babysitter and the son). But they are, and I really didn't like them much.

Come to think of it though, I'll change my score to 7/10. The kids stuff isn't that prominent.
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You are being too generous. A bog standard, charmless, not particularly funny, Romcom. I saw it again over the Christmas break and I'm not especially glad I did. And playing the son's stalkerish behaviour as comedy was a bit off.
 
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Wibble said:
You are being too generous. A bog standard, not particularly funny, Romcom. I saw it again over the Christmas break and I'm not especially glad I did. And playing the son's stalkerish behaviour as comedy was a bit off.
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Guess I'm not the new @Wibble after all then.

Anyway, I think I said before in this thread that I rather like Steve Carell. I have no idea about The Office, and I know he's rather one-dimensional in terms of his characters (except maybe The Big Short and Vice); but I like what he brings.
 
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Cheimoon said:
Guess I'm not the new @Wibble after all then.

Anyway, I think I said before in this thread that rather like Steve Carell. I have no idea about the office, and I know he's rather one-dimensional in terms of his characters (except maybe The Big Short and Vice); but I like what he brings.
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@Wibble, bringing opinions on films and TV that upset (or slightly surprise) people since 2001.

The US Office was sort of OK (from the very little I watched) but not a patch on the original. He was good in The Morning Show, although I haven't managed to get through season 2 as it seems to have had a big drop in quality from season 1.
 
Cheimoon said:
Hey, I did say I liked the scenes with the adults! I know Stone plays Carell's daughter, but she is an adult in the film, so I did mean to include her scenes among the stuff I liked. And yes, this particular part with her and Gosling is great. I also think I would easily have given this film 8/10 if those kids' scenes weren't there (all the nonsense with the babysitter and the son). But they are, and I really didn't like them much.

Come to think of it though, I'll change my score to 7/10. The kids stuff isn't that prominent.
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Change it to a 7.5 and we can put this whole matter behind us.
 
Oscars best picture nominees in order:

1. Oppenheimer
2. The Zone of Interest
3. Anatomy of a Fall [guessing]
4. Poor Things [guessing]
5. Past Lives [guessing]
6. Maestro
7. American Fiction [guessing]
8. Killers of the Flower Moon
9. The Holdovers
10. Barbie

A lot of these movies, my reaction now to the film, days later, and my initial reaction, are really far apart.
Maestro - initially I was very impressed with Cary Mulligan's performance and that made me rate the film high. Then you think about it for a day or two, and you realize it's a film about nothing, Bernstein himself is no hero but doesn't get called out for his boorish behavior, and the shift in tones and styles over the decades becomes a bit obvious.
The Zone Of Interest - especially after watching Maestro you appreciate how someone can direct a film without being up in your face about HEY LOOK AT ME YOU ARE WATCHING MY MOVIE MY NAME IS BRADLEY COOPER CAN YOU BELIEVE MY NOSE. So Zone moves up and Maestro moves down.
 
Wibble said:
@Wibble, bringing opinions on films and TV that upset (or slightly surprise) people since 2001.

The US Office was sort of OK (from the very little I watched) but not a patch on the original. He was good in The Morning Show, although I haven't managed to get through season 2 as it seems to have had a big drop in quality from season 1.
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I just don't like those mockumentaries, period. (I tried a few episodes of a few series and just didn't really enjoy anything of them.) The only series I've seen Carell in is Space Force. It's not great as a whole, but I liked it well enough and he's fine in it.
 
Cheimoon said:
I just don't like those mockumentaries, period. (I tried a few episodes of a few series and just didn't really enjoy anything of them.) The only series I've seen Carell in is Space Force. It's not great as a whole, but I liked it well enough and he's fine in it.
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The original office is superb thought. Really very good indeed. Worth making an exception for.
 
Watched Poor Things yesterday. Not sure if I have ever laughed as much at the absurd scenes in a movie in the last few years. Excellent cast, soundtrack and scenography. 10/10.
 
Cheimoon said:
Bronson. Nicolas Winding Refn's 2008 biographical film about UK prisoner Michael Peterson/Charles Bronson (played by Tom Hardy), who's a guy who basically randomly erupts in extreme violence all the time, and has therefore been in prison for most of his life.

That does not sound like a great premise, but it's actually an amazing film. Refn's intersperses key moments in Bronson's life with Bronson commenting on or presenting these moments in various guises. The results is a sort of very clever dark comedy, that partly invites you to enjoy Bronson's craziness, but also holds up a mirror to you doing so. For example, when Bronson grabs his art teacher and you don't know yet if he kills him (it looks likely at that moment), the scene switch to his vaudeville theatre show, where his audience erupts in laughter - as actual watchers of the film might. But is this funny, that he's going to molest and possible kill that teacher who's been nothing but nice to him? Of course it isn't. I really liked that. We're often asked to enjoy careless extreme violence in films (think the John Wick films or a lot of Tarantino's work), and I like how this film offers that while also criticizing it.

Other than that, it's just great film-making. As could be expected, Refn does a lot to make scenes interesting with camerawork, music, and other finds (interestingly, there is nothing of his slow-cinema style here), plus those moments of Bronson commenting really give the film something extra. Hardy is great as well. And I like how the film doesn't offer any kind of explanation for what happens - cause there isn't, and life can be like that sometimes. I could go on, but it's just very, very good. 9/10 (With thanks to a couple of people who discussed Refn with me last week, which led me to watch this! Pity our Netflix doesn't have anything else by Refn.)
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I actually never got around to watching Bronson, even though Drive is one of my all-time favorite movies. Will definitely put it on the list.
 
Wing Attack Plan R said:
Maestro (2023)
Bradley Cooper as Leonard Bernstein. Uncanny aging due to his acting chops and makeup effects. Excellent directing. More big moments for costar Cary Mulligan than Emily Blunt had in Oppenheimer.

The difference overall between those two films was Oppenheimer was about something — morality, ethics, big ideas, can anyone be trusted with nukes, did we do the right thing etc. — where Maestro is an almost documentarian look at Bernstein’s life. At the end, you’re thinking, “I know this movie is about Leonard Bernstein, but why did they want to make a film about him in the first place?”

The style of filmmaking changed as Lenny got older, but he disappeared so far into the role that ut was like looking at disconnected chapters of a documentary.

I think he just might pip Murphy to the Acting Oscar, although I think Oppenheimer was more powerful directing. Both dance a jig on Paul Giamatti.

It’s a shame Barry Keoghan wasn’t nominated because it would have been a battle between his prosthetic dong and Cooper’s prosthetic schnoz.

8/10
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Didn't Barry confirm it was actually his dong?

I have absolutely no interest in seeing Maestro because of the bolded part and it's the issue I have with most biopics, with some exceptions - they have nothing to say apart from translating a Wiki page to the screen. It can be done super well, it can be acted masterfully, but I'll still find it boring if there's nothing else to it.
 
Mike Smalling said:
I actually never got around to watching Bronson, even though Drive is one of my all-time favorite movies. Will definitely put it on the list.
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It's not much like Drive stylistically I think, but definitely worth it!

How do you pronounce 'Refn' btw? Ice done some Danish on Duolingo, but can't figure out what to do with the f here.
GuyfromAustria said:
Well, the audience doesn't until late in the movie, so I wouldn't include that (twice) in your review. :D
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Oops! Spoilered it now, and you should do the same in the quote. :)
 
Cheimoon said:
How do you pronounce 'Refn' btw? Ice done some Danish on Duolingo, but can't figure out what to do with the f here.
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It's quite straightforward really. It's just 'ref' like in referee with an n afterwards. That's how it's usually anglicized anyway - the e sound is a bit different in Danish. It's not a common name at all though.

Coincidentally he's one of a handful of minor celebrities I consistently run into in Copenhagen. He must live in my neighborhood somewhere.
 
Mike Smalling said:
It's quite straightforward really. It's just 'ref' like in referee with an n afterwards. That's how it's usually anglicized anyway - the e sound is a bit different in Danish. It's not a common name at all though.

Coincidentally he's one of a handful of minor celebrities I consistently run into in Copenhagen. He must live in my neighborhood somewhere.
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Ok, that's what I've been saying in my head as well, so go me. :D

Next time you see him, you can tell him that Cheimoon from RedCafé loved Bronson and Drive but disliked Only God Forgives. Think of it as an icebreaker.
 
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